KREM
KREM, virtual channel 2 (UHF digital channel 20), is a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Spokane, Washington, United States and also serving Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The station is owned by Tegna Inc., as part of a duopoly with CW affiliate KSKN (channel 22). The two stations share studios on South Regal Street in Spokane; KREM's transmitter is on Krell Hill southeast of Spokane. On cable and satellite, the station can be seen in high definition on Comcast Xfinity channel 102 in the Spokane area, Charter Spectrum channel 1209 in the Coeur d'Alene area and the Palouse, and channel 2 (in both standard and high definition) on Dish Network and DirecTV (alongside Lewiston CBS affiliate KLEW). The station is also carried on cable systems in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, both of which are double the size of KREM's American coverage area. One result of this is that stations in Calgary and Edmonton air American shows on Pacific Time, even though Calgary and Edmonton are both on Mountain Time. It is one of five local Spokane area television stations seen in Canada on the Shaw Direct satellite service. It can also been seen on local cable systems in eastern British Columbia. History KREM-TV signed on October 31, 1954 with an "inaugural program" at 6:30 p.m., followed by the 1933 movie The Private Life of Henry VIII. It initially had a dual affiliation with ABC and the DuMont Network, the latter shared with cross-town competitor KXLY-TV because of its then-CBS affiliation at the time. After DuMont dissolved, KREM continued as an ABC affiliate. In the late 1950s, the station was briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network. KREM-TV was affiliated with ABC until August 8, 1976, when it swapped affiliations with KXLY-TV, whom CBS immediately dropped for constantly pre-empting or delaying its network shows. KREM thus became a full member of the CBS network. Initially, CBS had approached KHQ-TV, while KREM was considered for a possible NBC affiliation because of the King Broadcasting Company's sister stations being NBC affiliates, but KREM decided to sign with CBS instead. KREM-TV was originally owned by Cole Wylie alongside KREM radio (AM 970, now KTTO; and FM 92.9, now KZZU-FM). The King Broadcasting Company, run by Seattle businesswoman Dorothy Bullitt, bought the KREM stations from Wylie in 1957; the radio stations were sold off in 1984. (Coincidentally, the former KREM-FM is now a sister station to KXLY-TV.) However, channel 2 retained the -TV suffix in its callsign until 2009. King Broadcasting was sold in 1992 to the Providence Journal Company, which merged with Belo Corporation five years later. On June 13, 2013, the Gannett Company announced that it would acquire Belo. The sale was completed on December 23. On June 29, 2015, the Gannett Company split in two, with one side specializing in print media and the other side specializing in broadcast and digital media. KREM and KSKN were retained by the latter company, named Tegna. KREM and KSKN are a part of a cluster of television stations in the Northwestern United States owned by Tegna, which includes KING-TV and its sister station KONG in Seattle; KGW in Portland, Oregon; and KTVB in Boise. All four stations had provided material to co-owned Northwest Cable News, a regional 24-hour cable news service based in Seattle that served much of the region. KREM was the only non-NBC affiliate to be a primary contributor to NWCN, with the exception of KSKN and Seattle independent station KONG. The channel shut down on January 6, 2017. Category:CBS affiliated stations Category:Channel 2 Category:1954 Category:Television channels and stations established in 1954 Category:Tegna, Inc. Category:Spokane Category:Washington Category:Former ABC affiliates Category:Former DuMont Affiliates Category:Former NTA Film Network affiliates Category:VHF Category:CBS Washington Category:Justice Network Affiliates Category:Court TV Affiliates Category:Former Live Well Network Affiliates